Prices at Ephesus are set by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and published as a provincial tariff by the İzmir Directorate. They are quoted in euros for foreign visitors and in lira for holders of a Turkish ID. They change without much notice, usually at the start of a season.
What things cost
| Foreign visitor | |
|---|---|
| Ephesus archaeological site, including the Experience Museum | €40 |
| Terrace Houses (separate ticket, inside the site) | €15 |
| Ephesus Archaeological Museum, Selçuk | €10 |
| Basilica of St John, Selçuk | €6 |
| Temple of Artemis | free |
The House of the Virgin Mary is run separately from the ministry sites and charges its own fee in lira — around 700 TL in 2026. Confirm it on the day; it moves with the exchange rate.
The thing nobody tells you at the window
Euro cash is not accepted. The prices are printed in euros, so people arrive with euro notes and are turned away at the till. What the office takes is a card — Visa or Mastercard — or Turkish lira at the day's rate.
Cards are the simple answer. If you want to pay cash, get lira first; the exchange desks in Kuşadası and Selçuk will give you a better rate than the airport did.
What the €40 already covers
The site ticket includes the Ephesus Experience Museum, the projection hall near the Lower Gate that opened in 2023. A lot of visitors pay for the site, walk past the building and never go in. It is twenty minutes, it is air-conditioned, and you have already bought it.
It does not include the Terrace Houses. That is a second ticket, sold at the Terrace Houses entrance on Curetes Street and at the main gates.
Museum Pass Türkiye
The Museum Pass gets you into the archaeological site without paying the €40. Two things to know:
- It does not cover the Terrace Houses. You pay separately.
- Pass holders are charged separately for the Experience Museum, which is included for people paying the ordinary €40.
Whether the pass is worth buying depends entirely on how many ministry sites you will visit in its validity window. For Ephesus, the museum in Selçuk and St John's alone it is close to break-even; add Pergamon, Aphrodisias or Hierapolis and it stops being close.
Buying ahead
You do not need to. There is no timed entry and no daily cap, and the queues at the windows move quickly even when three ships are in — the crowd inside the site is the problem, not the queue outside it.
Third-party sites resell entry at a markup, sometimes with a guide attached. That can be worth it for the guide. It is not worth it for the ticket.
Who pays less
Turkish citizens and residents holding a T.C. identity number pay the lira tariff, which is much lower. Children under a certain age go free; students with a valid Turkish student card get a reduced rate. Foreign student cards are not generally accepted.
How much is a ticket to Ephesus in 2026?
€40 for foreign visitors, which includes the Ephesus Experience Museum. The Terrace Houses cost €15 more.
Can I pay in euros at Ephesus?
Not in cash. The prices are quoted in euros but the ticket offices take cards or Turkish lira. Euro banknotes are refused.
Is the Museum Pass valid at Ephesus?
It covers the archaeological site. It does not cover the Terrace Houses, and pass holders are charged separately for the Experience Museum.
Do I need to book Ephesus tickets in advance?
No. There is no timed entry and no daily cap, and the ticket queues move quickly. Advance sellers add a markup for a ticket you can buy at the gate.
